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Some recommended ENGLISH books in Maliki Fiqh part 1

بسم هللا الرحمن الرحيم

و صلى هللا على سيدنا محمد وآله وصحبه وسلم

1) The Abridgment of al-Akhdari

Translated by Shaykh Rami Nsour

One of the most important endeavors that a Muslim will be concerned with is gaining knowledge on how to truly worship Allah and deal well with all creation. One of the main ways to do this is by accessing the texts that our righteous scholars have authored to assist in gaining this knowledge. Through their texts, they have laid down for us a clear path that will save us from the pitfalls of ignorance. They have codified the rules taken from the Qur’an and Sunnah in a way that makes it simple for anyone desiring to increase himself in knowledge to do so. One of the most important texts of this type is the book that is before you, The Abridgement (Mukhtasar) of Imam Al Akhdari. It is a beginning text of Islamic Jurisprudence (fiqh) that has been studied by countless students and teachers for the past several centuries. It is interesting that the author begins this text with a section on purification of the heart, which can be taken as a reminder that the most important endeavor we have to take on is the purification of our hearts. That purification requires us to work on both the outward laws and the inward laws. This text is part of a distance learning program developed by the Tayba Foundation to provide incarcerated men and women access to high quality education that will aid them in character development. Your purchase of this textbook helps support the Tayba Foundation’s El Hajj Malik El Shabazz Distance Learning Program.

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You can also, benefit of the online commentary of this text, click here.

Note : This book is actually out of stock.

2) Al-Murshid al-Mu‘een, matn of Ibn Ashir in english.

Al-Murshid al-Mu‘een

Al-Murshid al-Mu’een is a widely recognised primary text for learning Islam in North Africa. In it the author, Abd al-Wahid ibn ‘Ashir, summarises in verse the three sciences of Islam, Iman and Ihsan: Maliki fiqh, Ash’ari ‘aqida and Junaidi tasawwuf. This is its first complete translation into English. Dr. Asadullah Yate is also the translator of Shaykh Ahmad bin al-Bashir al-Qalawi ash-Shinqiti’s (1216 AH/1802 CE- 1276 AH/1853 CE) Mufid al-‘Ibad, a very full commentary on al-Murshid al-Mu’een, which is published by Diwan Press in English as “Islam in the School of Madina”.

Shaykh Abd al-Wahid ibn ‘Ashir

The great imam, the sea of knowledge, he who made the hajj from the most distant land (abarr), the mujahid, Abu Muhammad, ‘Abd al-Wahid ibn ‘Ali ibn ‘Ashir, of the Ansari line, originally from Andalusia, brought up in Fez which he made his home. He has compositions on various different sciences, amongst them the poem entitled al-Murshid al-mu’in ‘ala daruri min ‘ulum ad-deen about Maliki fiqh. It parallels the Mukhtasar of Khalil in that it combines both the roots and branches of the deen such that whoever reads it and understands its points is able to abandon once and for all taqleed – imitation – for the soundness of the iman (of the people of taqleed) is disputed. He is thus able to learn what Allah has made incumbent on him of the sciences necessary for each and every Muslim to know. He died in Dhu’l-Hijja 1040 AH. (Ash-Shajara p.299, No. 1161)

Dr. Asadullah Yate

Dr Yate (Cantab.) has translated works from Arabic, Persian, German and French, and, in collaboration with others, from Turkish. He teaches Arabic and Fiqh at the Weimar Institute, is a Founding fellow of The Muslim Faculty of Advanced Studies, and is active on the shariat board of the World Islamic Mint.

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3) Islam in the school of Medina (Ibn Ashir’s commentary)

Islam in the School of Madina

Islam in the School of Madina

Mufeed al-‘Ibad, of which this book is a translation, is a summation of all the previous commentaries on the work of Ibn ‘Ashir on Ash‘ari ‘aqida, Maliki fiqh and Junaydi tasawwuf and is augmented not infrequently by the author’s own subtle understanding of the finer aspects of the ‘amal of the people of Madina.

Ahmad ibn al-Bashir al-Qalaawi ash-Shinqeeti

Shaykh Ahmad bin al-Bashir al-Qalaawi ash-Shinqeeti (1216 AH/1802 CE – 1276 AH/1853 CE), whose lineage can be traced to Abu Bakr as- Siddeeq, came from a family and tribe in present day Mauritania renowned for its knowledge and active implementation of the deen. Although he himself refrained from any sufic commentary on Ibn Ashir’s work, he was recognised as a wali by the men of this science around him.

Dr. Asadullah Yate

Dr Yate (Cantab.) has translated works from Arabic, Persian, German and French, and, in collaboration with others, from Turkish. He teaches Arabic and Fiqh at the Weimar Institute, is a Founding fellow of The Muslim Faculty of Advanced Studies, and is active on the shariat board of the World Islamic Mint.

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The Practical Guidebook of Essential Islamic Sciences is a commentary on the three essential sciences that have characterised the Islam of the West – Andalus and North and West Africa – from the earliest days: fiqh, ‘aqida and tasawwuf. It is refined and distilled from Shaykh Ali Laraki’s teaching the justly famed al-Murshid al-Mu‘in of ‘Abd al-Wahid ibn ‘Ashir to students, young and old, while imam of communities in Madrid, Norwich, Newark (US) and Cape Town.

Al-Murshid al-Mu‘in by Shaykh ‘Abd al-Wahid (d. 1040 AH / 1631 CE) summarises the deen as outlined in the hadith of Jibril on Islam, Iman and Ihsan in 317 verses
The original text of Ibn `Ashir as it stands does not take into account many of the life situations of the contemporary man. And in order for someone to apply such a medieval text to his life (which no longer resembles the common man’s life one thousand years ago), he will have to engage in a type of deciphering which only the qualified are capableof carrying out successfully

About The author :

Shaykh Ali Laraki al-Husaini whose family, including a long line of noted scholars, stem from Fez, the capital city of knowledge forNorth Africa. He grew up between Morocco and Spain, and is bi-lingual in Arabic and Spanish, as well as being almost equally fluent in French and English. He studied fiqh in the traditional manner with distinguished scholars such as Shaykh Muhammad an-Naifar and Shaykh Muhammad al-Lakhwa (ex-professors in the Jami‘ az-Zaituna of Tunis) and the late Sidi Muhammad al-Wazzani of Melilla, may Allah show mercy to them all. He is currently resident in Leicester (UK) and is Senior Lecturer at the Meem Institute (www.meeminstitute.com).

About Ibn Ashir
Abu Muhammad i ‘Abdul-Wahid ibn Ahmad ibn ‘Ali ibn ‘Ashir was a Maliki scholars of Morocco. His lineage can be traced back to the ancient tribe from Madina known as the ‘Ansar’ . His most immediate descendants can be traced back to Islamic Spain (Andalusia). But they would later take up residence in the Moroccan city of Fez where Ibn ‘Ashir grew up and spent most of his life.

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5) Muqadimat al Izziyyah

Book Description
Al-Muqaddimah Al-Izziyah is a Maliki Fiqh text written by Abu Hasan Al-Maliki Al-Shadhili, he died 939 A.H in Cairo. The book covers all of the primary areas of worship in addition to practical life matters such as marriage/ divorce, commercial transactions and inheritance. It is said that the author wrote this book for the sake of the common community living around the Azhar Mosque in Cairo during his time. While it is not one of the major or relied upon books of the madhab, it’s simplicity and eloquence has made it a desired treasure to many. Al-Izziyyah although originally written for a small audience around Azhar, has become a very popular book in West africa, North Africa and Sudan. Note: This book does have a few minor typographical errors.